My garden plants.

Gardening -- Plants currently in my garden.

Hostas – Plantain lily.

Hostas are essential plants because they thrive in shade, have wonderful shapely leaves and often gorgeous rich foliage colours, and combine extremely well with scores of different plants. They can be used as ground cover and as stunning specimens in ornamental pots. All hostas like moist soil, and grow best in dappled to full shade provided by a canopy of overhanging trees and shrubs. Prepare the soil well before planting as they are long-lived, and quite happy to be in the same spot for well over 30 years without being divided. Since hostas dislike standing in water, dig in plenty of coarse grit to keep the soil free-draining. Also add manure to feed the plant and stop the ground drying out completely. It's worth adding water-retaining granules when planting hostas in borders that are prone to drying out, for example when next to a brick wall or under the eaves of a roof. Ideally, hostas should be planted in either early autumn or late spring to avoid frosts that would otherwise damage the tender young roots. But, once established, they happily tolerate temperatures well below freezing. Since strong winds can tear their leaves, they need a sheltered spot. A regular nitrogen feed, such as pelleted chicken manure, and an annual mulch of manure will help keep plants in top condition.

There are thousands of varieties of hosta and many websites which catalogue their characteristics. One suggestion is Hostas.com to see pictures and descriptions.

Because of the many variations in these plants, I am not sure if the names I have selected for them is correct. If you see that I have made an error, please send me a note using the feedback button in the navigation pane on the left.

Here are some group photos of my hostas:

This is a close-up of a hosta bloom:

• Hosta - Aureo Marginata.
  • Description: Gold edged leaves. Excellent ground cover or accent plant for shaded areas. Flower spikes 18-24" (45-60 cm) in July.
  • Growing preferences: See above.
  • Observations: Since there are so many varieties of Hosta (thousands actually), I cannot be certain I have identified this one correctly.
  • Zone:
  • Year added: About 2002.
  • Plant source: Provided to me by another gardener with whom I was trading plants.
  • Links to further info:
  • Photo(s):
• Hosta - Francee.
  • Description: White-edged leaves.
  • Growing preferences:
  • Observations: Since there are so many varieties of Hosta (thousands actually), I cannot be certain I have identified this one correctly. This one grows very rapidly and I usually split it each year or by the second year for sure.
  • Zone:
  • Year added: About 2000.
  • Plant source: My neighbour on the street gave me two clumps.
  • Links to further info:
  • Photo(s):
• Hosta - ?.
  • Description: Broad, ribbed, dark green leaves.
  • Growing preferences:
  • Observations: Since there are so many varieties of Hosta (thousands actually), I have not been able to identify this one.
  • Zone:
  • Year added: 2005.
  • Plant source: My brother's front yard garden which is entirely made up of hostas and ground cover.
  • Links to further info:
  • Photo(s):

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Date of last revision: 2019-12-16.
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